Here we are just two months after our ‘What does AANR do for me’ debut in the January Bulletin, with a chance to reflect on what that membership means for us. I’m so glad I found AANR when I was researching nude sunbathing options way back in the 20th Century. I looked at the brochures, read The Bulletin, and saw their stance on nude use of public lands. I decided I should join so I could support an organization supporting my right to be nude.
My membership means I support with my dollars everyone’s right to nude use. With the Government Affairs Team I saw an organization focused on proactive efforts to make sure we know when trouble is on the horizon. Now as the GAT Chair I’m active in making sure we alert members to issues as we encounter them, and working with the rest of the team to formulate our response to what these challenges are, and how to act in support of our use of these lands.
One thing we get asked is about sex and what “really happens” at our gatherings. The separation of sexual and non-sexual nudity is one of the hardest things for non-nudists to accept. Just this week I read an article in the Planet Nude newsletter from “Nudist Jeff” that covers this very well. The article can be found at www.planetnude.co/p/desexualize-nudity-doesnt-mean-what?r=31b4gx&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web.
The point he was making is don’t change your view on nudity, broaden it.
The importance of this is that legislators jump to conclusions when they hear nude recreation. I’m sure some of you have had to tell friends “No, we just are comfortable hanging out nude with our friends. Once we got over our own inhibitions about being nude, we moved on and formed a community.” I wish we could let others understand it’s no different from any group they join, we just do it nude! Whether it’s a nude swim or nude bowling night, we enjoy our friends’ company and socialize just like any other community.
And that is what AANR taught me. It’s okay to look different, whether it’s clothes, hair, scars, disabilities, or any other personal difference. When we strip down and just be ourselves we are among friends, we are all nudists, and we should be as accepting of each other as we should be of ourselves.
Tim Mullins
AANR Government Affairs Chair
AANR Vice President